


Under the Balcony at Midnight

by tsuyusswamp



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Boys In Love, Boys' Love, College, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Gardens & Gardening, LGBTQ Themes, Love at First Sight, M/M, Nature, Romance, Short & Sweet, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28222728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsuyusswamp/pseuds/tsuyusswamp
Summary: Kurapika is staying at a palace and meets Leorio, a gardener who tends to the foliage surrounding Kurapika's balcony. Throughout the summer, the two talk more and more, and they slowly fall for each other from a distance.this is my first ever fanfic!! i hope you like it :-)(also posted on wattpad)
Relationships: Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight, Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Under the Balcony at Midnight

Kurapika Kurta had been dreading the summer. He favored the chillier months, as the cold was a reasonable excuse to stay inside studying. The bright and refreshing air that summer brought was just another reminder of the bleakness that filled the halls of the palace. However, the temptation of summer was too much to ignore and he slowly headed towards the balcony. As he opened the door, someone special caught his eye. Kurapika had seen many gardeners during his stay at the palace, which he had been residing in for the last year as an exchange student, but he had never really payed any attention to any of them. That is, before he came around. 

The gardener had brown hair that seemed to glow in the sunshine and wore glasses that were a shape Kurapika had never seen before. Although it was far away, Kurapika felt oddly drawn to the stranger. He stared at the boy for a little while longer before he began to take notice of Kurapika's gaze. Not wanting to seem impolite, Kurapika asked for the gardener's name before he seemed like a stalker. "It's Leorio, whats yours?" Leorio. That name seemed to roll off of his lips perfectly. "Kurapika." he said, trying his best not to stutter or blush too much. The pair continued to converse for the next hour, speaking of anything and everything, until their voices got hoarse from having to yell from the balcony to the peonies below. Although Kurapika wanted to come down and talk to Leorio face to face, he knew that his host family would consider it a disgrace to talk to the employees. Because of this, the long distance conversations continued throughout the summer. 

It was mid august now, and Kurapika and Leorio had told each other more about themselves than they ever had previously. Leorios warmth had made Kurapikas foundness for summer grow each day. Every conversation had left both boys with wide smiles and the desire to learn even more about the other. On August 15th, Kurapika tried to convince his host family to let him go down and talk to Leorio. He had become so enticed with his beauty, his smile, and his words, that he could no longer be satisfied with conversations from his balcony. The host family's strict rules made no sense even for Kurapika, who usually loved rules and stuck to them dearly. When he asked, the family declined, saying that it was improper to associate with those they pay for labour. The next day, Kurapika opened his balcony door to once again meet with Leorio. When Leorio appeared below the balcony in his usual green apron, Kurapika began to speak in a slightly more hushed, but still audible for Leorio, tone of voice. 

He explained to the gardener that he could no longer cope with just seeing him from a distance, that he longed to see Leorios face up close. Leorio revealed that he felt the same way, trying to hide his obviously flushed cheeks. Fortunately for him, Leorio was way too far away for Kurapika to see him blush. Of course, that was the problem. 

Longing to see each other face to face, they hatched a plan. On the night before Leorio was to go back to medical school (as he had just taken up this job in order to pay off his student loans), Kurapika would escape from his suite and visit Leorio who was to stand underneath the balcony. He was to sneak down the stairs onto the garden entrance where Leorio would be standing at exactly midnight. Hopefully, the host family would be sound asleep and the pair would be able to converse in peace. 

After two weeks of waiting and planning, Kurapika was about to see Leorio up close for the first time. Leorio set his watch and Kurapika set his alarm for twelve AM sharp. As Kurapika stared at the clock, time seemed like it was moving at half its regular pace. After what seemed like days of waiting, it was time. Kurapika slipped into his ornately decorated slippers that had been supplied to him by the family, and he began to creep down the stairs. His heart was beating rapidly, partly due to the fear of being caught, but mainly out of excitement. After a summer of pining after him from the balcony, he would finally be able to see the face he loved up close. As he reached the final flight of stairs, he could hardly keep himself from just running out to the garden. However, he knew that if he was too loud, the host family would wake up ad he would have to deal with his punishment. Finally reaching the last step, Kurapika got a glimpse of Leorio's shoulder. Unable to stop himself, he ran towards the man who had been the light of his entire stay at the palace. 

"LEORIO!" Kurapika exclaimed, still at a soft whisper. Leorio faced him with the largest smile Kurapika had ever seen. Finally he was able to see the gardeners face in full detail. His brown eyes looked magical underneath the moonlight, with the purple flowers slightly refected in them. After years of showing little emotion, tears began form in Kurapikas eyes. He didn't care that it was "unacceptable" for him to be soliciting with someone of such a lower class. All he wanted was to stay in this moment for just a little longer. Suddenly the thought dawned on him. What if I went with Leorio? It seemed like such a silly idea, but Kurapika was willing to leave everything behind to be with him. He knew that even though Leorio was annoying and had the tendency to boast, Kurapika had never felt this way before.

After talking it over, Kurapika accompanied Leorio past the lush garden to the servant quarters. Tomorow they would pack their things and catch the 7:00am train and go off to college together. Although it wasn't a rational plan, Kurapika had never been so confident about something before. They would run away together, and they would be happy. Kurapika was certain about that.


End file.
